Process of and apparatus for iempering or hardening steel wire



(No Model.)

H. E. PROCUNIER. PROCESS OF AND APPARATUS FOR TBMPBRING OR HARDENING STEEL WIRE.

` UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE.

HENRY E. PROCUNIER, OF OAK PARK, ASSIGNOR TO THE AMERICAN SPRING COMPANY, 0F CHICAGO, ILLINOIS.

PROCESS OF A ND APPARATUS FOR IEMPERING R HARDENING STEEL WIRE.

SPECIFICATION forming pm of Letters Patent No. 496,208, dated April 25, 1893. Application tiled May 4, 1891. Serial No. 391,622. (No model.)

To aZZ whom, it may concernc` Be it known that I, HENRY E. POCUNIER, a citizen of the Dominion of Canada, residing at Oak Park, in the county of Cook and State of Illinois,have invented a new and useful Improvement in Processes of and Apparatus for Tempel-ing or Hardening Steel Wire, oi"v which the following is a speeitcation.

I have been engaged for some time in enro dea-vering to temper steel wire by means of electric heat, using for that purpose the methods and apparatus described in several Letters Patent of the United States. I have been unable however' to obtain good results bythe t5 use of the patented agencies because of the loss in the hardening of certain qualities ot the steel necessary toimpart proper spring 'life to it.. To avoid this difficulty I have de vised my present invention and mynse of it,

2o extending over a considerable period of time,

satisfies me that I have overcome the objections pertainihg to the previous methods, and

I have reached results which I find unequaled by any other process or apparatus.

I have shown in the accompanying drawing a vertical section o f that portion of the apparatus to which my invention in part relates.

In the drawingArepresents a tube, preferably of metal, to which are connected copper 3o arms D D, which are joined to an electrical converter or transformer L. This converter is properly connected with an electrical dyname generating an alternating current, and is provided with means such as a rheostat fr whereby the strength of the current carried, to the tube Almay be regulated at the will of the operator. By means of the current ref ceived through theconverter, the tube A is` heated.

To protect the tube from changes in teinperature and from the oxidizing influence of the air, an outer B tube is placed around tube A; and between tubes A and B a packing C is placed, preferably of asbestus, cement or plaster of paris or someothernomconducting material. This packing together with the outer tube prevents unequal expansion or warping of tubcA While it is heating or cooling. The arms D D are also arranged to allow 5c expansion of the tule A under heat. The

tube A is arranged vertically as shown. At the top it is closed hya stuffing boxE packed v with a-sbestus e and having an orifice just su flicient to admit the ribbon orwire K which is to be treated.

At the lower end of the heating tube is located thechilling bath Gwhich isconstrncted and arranged as follows:-' `he oil or chilling fluid is supplied to bath G through the tubo M and is conducted by such tube iuto-a con- 6o tracted vertical passage way m surrounding the wire K. Its tlow in the horizontal direction is prevented from striking the'wire by the plug I which surrounds the latter op` posite the mouth ofthe tube M and by-which the fiow in that direction is broken. It is now however free to rise in the passage 'In with a steady even ow, and in so doing it comes in contact with the wire moving in a parallel but reversed direction, and it con- 7o tinues this upward movement until it reaches the top of the bath and passes ott at the outer sides of the latter. In this manner an ascending current of oil is created and main- A tained through the passagem and along the wire which bears aganstthe latter equally at all points, rises to the same level at all sides and also maintains an even temperature all 'around the wire because the oil euters the bath. at a uniform temperature and 8o no partof it feeds faster than any other part.

`I thus subject every part of the wire to a very uniform chilling action. As the oil overflows the bath G it falls into and is caught by a tank J, and being then filtered it maybe rel turned to service again. By reason of the smallarea of the passage m, no part of the oil in it can stagnate, but every part thereofmust move and continue in motion so long as it remains in the passage by reason of the'pro- 9c peiling power of the incoming fresh oil. The wire passes direct. from -the heating tube into the chilling bath and preferably without exposure to the air. Tosecure this result the tube or'ite cover may be extended so asto enter 95 the chilling Huid, but I prefer to cover the intervening space between the tube and the chilling medium by a tube F which makes a practically air tight connection between the two, and forms in conjunction with thettubexoc f, and it may be made adjustable by providlug elongated slots b for such screws. Its

lower edge extends downlinto the cooling duid as shown by the drawing so as to shut ont the outside air. The plugI is' perforated for the passage olf. the 'wire,`4and this opening should be of suchA size as will substantially prevent loss of the chilling medium through the plug. It is sustainedbya cap H secured to the wallsot' .the passage (m, and it may be made removable and to conform to the wire being treated, so that lit may be replaced by another where the dimension or kind of wire 'is changed. The ribbon or wire is passed by a steady even motion from spool N through the heating tube and hardeniug'bath and u n,

der the idler P and is then wound onto spool. O. The tube F is made movableso that the operator may observe the heat being communicated to the wire when necessary, and it also is convenient when the wire needs adjustmentor a new spool 'of wire is being started through the apparatus.

By the use of this apparatus4 I obtain importa-nt advantagesz--I 'avoid any variation in thc temperature imparted to the wire at different points in its length. This result is due to the fact that the entire operation is performed in a closed passage or muie wherefrom the external air is excluded.- The wire enters the chilling bath as soon as it has re. ceivcd its proper heat and is not allowed to. *remain heated an unnecessary or injurious length ot time before it is chilled. It enters the fluid in 4a vertical direction so that the .fluid bears against all sides of it alike and rises tothe same height all aronnd'it. All' lateral current or currents in the Vfluid are broken up before they come incontact with the wire, so that no one s ide or part of the wire is chilled any more quickly or to any greater extent than any other side. Whatevermovement there is to the chilling duid is in a direction parallel' with the length of the wire, so that while fresh oil is being continuously supplied, there is no unequal action upon any part of the wire caused by the iniiowing. of theoil, and a steady and `even temperature results. A By reason of the contracted nature of the passage through which the-oil rises and in which it comes in contactwith the wire,`no portion of it ca nreman stationary, but all of it is kept in constant motion by thecontinual incoming of fresh oil, thus maintaining an even temperature in all parts of the oil. The action in this respect is very 'different from what it would be if the passage had suicient' larea to hold a large body ofoil, inasmuchas in that case the outside portions would remain unaffected by -the heat taken from the wire,

' and would stagnate to some extent in the sage instead ot movin vsteadily through it. The gas generated in t e muiiie by the contact of the wire with the oil or chilling niedium is allowed to .escape .under the tube F and through the oilwithout destroying the.

substantially air tight qualities of the muile and the presence of any `excess of gas is thus prevented. A

1 prefer to heat the wire simply by radiation fromthetuba'but if this should be in. Vsniiicient an electric current may be directed through the wire ,it'seli?` by means ofthe wires Q Q, one connected to a contact 'q located at the initial end of the heating tube, and the other to theplug I, said wires being connected to the dynamo R. -0r.- some 'features of the invention may be used where the wire is heated wholly by a current through the wires Q Q, thetube remaining cold. Or `the tube A may be heated bymeans other than electricity. -I deem the electric heating ot the tube or someother manner of heating wherein the tube isnot exposed'to the exterior air as more. desirable than those methods in which it is exposed. i'

Y I claim-'- j 1. A vertical muffie'through which the wire is drawn, meansfor-.heating and means for moving thewiregin combinatioh with a chill ving bath and a.l supply pipe delivering the chilling fluid to the bottom of said bath, sub stantially as se't'i'orth.`

2. A vertical'muie through which the wire is passed, means for heating, and means for moving the wire, in mbination with a chilling bath connected'to the Amuiie so as to' prevent access of theairtc the wire as it passes from one to the other-,and a supply pipe delivering the chilling il'uid' to-the bottom of said bath, substantially asset' forth. l

3. A'v'ertical mnie and means for heating the same, in combination witha chillingbath .a supply pipedelivering the chilling iluid'to the bottom ot' said bath, and means forf'eeding the wire vertically through' both the -muie and thebath, substantially. as specided. V` 41'1he combination of meansl Afor heating the wire, with a chilling bath having a conl'tracted vertical passage, means' for feeding the :wire 'in one direction through said `paa-l sage, and means for feeding the oil in the Ator moving and means 'for heating the wire,

IXO

in'combination witha supply pipe conducting i Ythe incoming iiuid to the lower end ot said' e, substantially asv specified. Y 7. Achilling bath havingavertical u m through which the wire travels, an n mV for moving and means for heating the wire, in combi nation with a supply pipe conducting the wire, with tlie tube A,

the incoming nid to the lower end of said passage, and a. device, for breaking up the lateral current in the tluid'before it reaches the wire, substantiallyas specied.

8. The combination with a vertical tube or device in which the wire'isheated, means for heating, and means for moving the wire downwardly, of abath placedA immediately -below the tube and a liud supply arranged to deliver the chilling iiuid: at. the bottom 'of the bath so that it rises along the wi re,sub'stan.

tially as specified.

9. A vertical heated tube through 4,which the wire passes and in which 'it is heated, said tube being closed to the air at its upper end and being also provided with a non-beamend ucting covering, means for heating the tube, means for moving the wire, means for prof tecting the wire from the air as it travels from the tube to the bath, a .chilling bath located tubeA and the'bath and extending into 'the chilling fluid, substantially as set forth.

11. The combination of means for moving and heating the wire, with the bath, the supply pipe opening'into thebottom of the bath,

and the plug I having a passage for the wire, v

substantially as specified. o 12. The combination of means for moving the wire,with theh'eat'ng tube, the chilling bath, and the inclosing tube F adj ustably supported upon4 the lower end of the heating tube,.substantially as specified.

13. The combination of means for moving means for heating said tube, the covering B,A F supported from said covering, and a chilling bath immediately below tube F, substam.

- tially as specified.

14. The combination with means for moving the wiredownward, of means for heating lthe wire,and a chilling bath adapted to allow the downward passage of the wire and having a supply arranged to deliver the chilling duid at its bottom, and also having means so located as to break up the lateral current in said duid before its contact with the wire, substantially as set forth.

15. In an apparatus for hardening wire the combination of a vertical inutile having at its upper end astutiing box or opening adapted means for heating, means for mov-V` an inclosin'g tube to be closed by the wire, means for heating the inutile, a wire feeding apparatus adapted to conduct a wire or ribbon through said muftie, a chilling bath situated at the lower end or extension of said muiile surrounding 'the wire and extending from the muiiie to the bath, substantially as set forth.

combination of a vertical muiiie having at its' upper end a stuong box or opening adapted to be, closed by' the wire, a non-conduct1ng the muiiie by an electrical` current, a wire feeding apparatus adapted toccnductawlre or ribbon through said muiiie, achillmg bathmufiie surrounding the wire and extending from the mniieto the Abath,substantially as set forth.

of hardeningwire which consists in heating the wire by radiant heat while airis excluded heated wire vertically downward directly and' without contact with anysubstance and without exposure to the air in a" chilling bath, vsubstantially as set forth. l'

18. The hereindescribed improved method of hardening wire which consists in heating the wire while air isexcluded therefrom and then passing the wire without exposure to the air, vertically downward directly into a chilling'bath, substantially as set forth.

of hardening wire which consists in heating passing the wire vertically downward directly into a chilling bath without' exposure to the air, and feeding the fiuid of said bath to the wire evenly on all sides thereof and in ad-4 rection opposite to that of the movement of the wire, substantially as set forth.

20. The improvement in the mode of hardandthen passing it verticallythrough a rsing body of oil or other chilling fluid, sull stantially' as set forth.

21. The improvement in the modeot hardsuing wire consisting in heating the wire and passing it while still hot vertically through a rising body ol oil or other 'chilling tiuid, the latter being deprived of all current approaching the wire laterally, substantially as set forth..

HENRY E. PROCUNIER. Witnesses:

EMMA HACK, H. 'M'. Mumbai'.

of said mule and an air excluding conduit 16. 'In an apparatus for hardening wire the' covering for said mniiie, means for heating` situated at the iowerend of said muffle and 1 an air excluding conduit or extension of said.

while in a confined body of carbonvapor, and

the wire while airis excluded therefrom, thenlening wire consisting in first heating the wire,

17. The hereindescribed improved method from contact therewith',.and then passing the 19. The hereindescribed improved method 

